Key holder



Sept. 6, 1 J. c. MOLYNEUX KEY HOLDER Filed Sept. 16, 1954 INVEN TOR. (/OH/V CHEs TER M04 v/vsux ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent KEYHOLDER JohmChesteriMulynwxgilamestowng N. Y; Application Septemben16 ;.1'954, swarm. 456,472

scientist c1. 150 411 The present invention relates generally to. key. con-. tainers. and more particularly. to a flexible. case. key. container adapted for, easy manuallmanipulation to. permit ready. access for selective removalIof any oneof. a plu-v rality of keys mounted therein..

A primary object ofthisinvention rem. provide. a..key case having .a plurality. of keys mounted'rinwardly thereof by pivotalconnections to support means provided. at its opposite endportions tolretain such keys. in.fixed.posi-. tional'orientation relative. to each other while permitting swinging movements inwardly and. outwardly, of. thekey case, the opposed medial. portions. of the. case being scored'or otherwise weakened to permitmanualflexing of the opposite end portions. thereof relative to-each other in an improved'manner tocause the lowermedial portion of the bottom thereof'to form a central ridge which will assume a displaced'position inwardly of the key caseto force the end portions of the keys-con: tained therein outwardly. into easily. accessible position for permitting selectiveremoval of; any one thereoft.

Anoth'er'object of this invention is to provide a key case of the. above type having a predetermined number. of shoulder. portions at. preselected positions thereon, each of said shoulderportions beingin predetermined poa sitional orientation-.relative to the keys containedwithin the key case for the purpose of permittingready identi fication of the. location of the individual keyscontained within the case bysight or theuse ofthe sense of touch, andthereb'yaiding. selection of a proper key evennunder adverse lighting conditions without the usualfiim-bling incidental to locating a proper key. for fitti-rigintoa'lock keyhole. Y

Still-another objectof the present inventionjsto provide snap fastener means for maintainiiig the key case in closedeondition,zthesnapdastener meanssbeing adapted to be detached at either of its oppositeend portions so as to be adapted for either right'orleft' hand operation;

Still another object .of vthe.presentriirvention-z-is-zto rprovide; incombinationwitlL akey. casesiof the.:afo'resaid type; aakey: identification. tag. containingi-a key identification a legend E and. beingadapted .for tmountin g withinthe key case in a manner similar to an individual key so that it will be displaced along with each of the individual keys contained in the case to provide an easy visual identification means for each of the keys contained within the key case.

Still another object is to provide the above features in a key case of the invention which will be very compact and easily manufactured from minimum quantities of material and with minimum expenditure of man-hours of labor.

Other features and advantages of this invention will appear in the specification hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view partly in section showing an embodiment of the present invention in closed condition;

Patented Sept. 6,1955.

Fig. 2 is a.view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 in open deformed. position causing the. contents to projectuoutwardly for permitting selection of. a key; and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device of Fig. 1 showing in dotted lines the snap fastener means in .detached condition.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the embodiment of the invention illustrated therein comprises a flexible case portion 10 folded into generally U-shaped cross section as shown most clearly in Fig, 3, a pair of headedkey-post members 12 and 14 fittedthrough the. case 10 at the opposite end portions thereof, respectively, adetachable strap fastener 16 having male snap portions 18-18 secured to a pair of companion female snap portions 20'-29, each being fixed to one of the opposed medial upper portions of the case 10' (Figs. 1, 2 and 3), aplurality of'keys 22'and'2'4 pivotally carried by the opposed 'post members 12 and 14, respectively, and a key identification tag 26 (Fig. 2) likewise carried on one-of the above post members.

Itwill be appreciated that each of the key. members 22 and" 24 mounted at the opposite end portions of the key'case 10 will be adapted to be swung inwardly and outwardly of the interior of the key case in the customary manner. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown the end portions of the respectivekeys 22' and 2'4 will-preferably overlap medially'of the key case for improved-working of the device according to theinVen tion-as will be more apparent as this description'pro' gre'sses.

A particular feature of the present invention is to weaken the'opposed side'portion's located medially of'the keycase 10 as for-example in the manneril'lustrated' at 30; byscoring or perforating such medial portions sub stantiallycrosswise of the key case to provide medial side wall portions having relatively greater flexibility than the adjacent main body and bottom portion of the key case. By virtue-of this above feature, it will be appre-' ciated that the opposite end portions of the case 10 will be easily flexed relativeto each other andto the medial bottom-portions of the case by simply pressing upwardly medially of the'bottom'portionatthe point designated 32in Fig. 2 to cause a substantial-transverse ridge portion to be raised upwardly inwardlyof'thekey caseto bear against the ends of the overlyingkey niem-' bers 22 and 24 for causing them to pivot'on their post mountings 12 and 14 to a position where their'endp'ortions-i=will' protrude outwardly of the=upperportion of thenkey casewhere theymaybe convenientlyselectedinathe; hereinafter described manner for fitting into their.

I respective locks;

- Another: feature: of the present invention is tox mount thesnap'ifastener M on theupper opposed medial portions ofz'thezcase. -10 by meansiof the snap-devices 18 -and20 in order that its end portions will both be detaehablyconnectedto the respective case side portions. This "snap fastenen arrangement will thus provide a'- means readily" adaptable for either left or right hand use since either end is detachable, or for that matter the fastener may be detached entirely if so desired as illustrated by the dotted line showings thereof in Fig. 3.

A still further feature of the present invention is to provide, in combination with the key case of the invention, means for readily identifying by sight or touch the various keys mounted at the opposite end portions of the key case in predetermined positional orientation therein. The above means utilized in the embodiment illustrated will comprise shoulder portions as indicated at 36 to 42 (Fig. 1) at the opposed upper edge portion of the main body of the key case 10.

These above shoulder portions may be provided in the form of notches as shown in Fig. 1, the respective keyconstituting a progressively increasing number thereof and being placed in fixed positional orientation adjacent the mounting end portion of its thereby identified key. Thus, the owner of a key case made according to the present invention will arrange his keys in predetermined positional orientation therein so that each key will be mounted to be in the vicinity of one set of the shoulder portions 36 to 42, inclusive, and will retain this positional relationship in his memory.

As a result the user may simply manually manipulate the above key case in the aforesaid manner to cause the end portions or" the keys contained therein to project outwardly of the key case and then simply by the sense of sight or touch locate the position of the particular set of notches and its adjacent key which he will identify by memory depending upon the number of notches or shoulder portions sought and then will simply swing the adjacent key outwardly of the key case into position for insertion into a door lock, the walls of the case being permitted to assume their normal position with the remaining keys therein.

It will be appreciated that the invention may be modifled by extending the scored or weakened portion 34 through the bottom of the case it in the event that greater flexibility is desired. Furthermore, it is contemplated that a key identification tag as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be mounted on one of the key post members 12 or 14 in a manner similar to the keys 22 and 24 so as to be caused to project outwardly of the key case when the end portions of the latter are manually displaced relative to each other as for example during a key selecting operation as described above. This key identification tag will provide positive identification of all the keys contained within the key case by having the positional orientation of the keys contained therein identified by designating each key with a numeral corresponding to the number of notches of the respective set located adjacent thereto as described above, and in this way infrequently used keys may be easily identified thereby. This identification strip is preferably made of a suitable stifl plastic or similar material having a surface which will retain the markings of the above noted identifying matter.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been particularly described in detail it will be appreciated that the invention is not so limited that other changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible key case comprising a main body portion,

folded into generally U-shaped cross-sectional form, a plurality of post members fitted in the opposite end portions of said main body portion, a plurality of keys pivotally connected to said post members inwardly of the main body portion for swinging movements outwardly and inwardly of said key case, the post members being spaced so that the ends of the keys mounted thereon will overlap when in stored position inwardly of the case, snap fastener means detachably connected to the opposed open ends of said key case main body portion, means providing a predetermined number of spaced shoulders in said main body portion in fixed positional orientation adjacent each of said keys, said main body portion having its side wall portions weakened or scored substantially medially and crosswise thereof whereby the ends of the main body portion may be flexed relative to each othe'r to form a substantially medial bottom ridge portion in raised position upwardly between said side wall portions incidental to such flexing to eject-the ends of said key members outwardly of saidmain body portion for easy identification thereof by sight or touch of said shoulders when under adverse lighting conditions and to permit selective removal into operatlve position.

2. A flexible key case comprising a unitary folded main body portion, a pair of post members fitted through the opposite'end portions of said main body portion, a plurality of keys being adapted to be pivotally connected to said post members inwardly of said main body portion, a snap fastener being detachably connected at its opposite ends medially of the open ends of said key case main body portion, a predetermined number of spaced shoulder means being provided in the edge of said main body portion in fixed positional orientation to each key for identification thereof, said main body portion having its opposed sides substantially medially weakened or scored crosswise thereof whereby the ends of the'mainbody' portion may be flexed relative to each other to form a medial bottom ridge portion to push said keys outwardly of said main body portion for identification by sight or touch and selective removal of any thereof into operative position.

3. A flexible key case device comprising a main body portion having a pair of spaced opposed side wall portions joined at one side by a bottom wall-portion, pivot means at opposite ends of said device for retaining a plurality of keys between said side wall portions in swingably mounted relation for swinging from outwardly to inwardly of the key case, said opposed side wall portions being scored or weakened medially of their ends substantially crosswise thereof to facilitate flexing of the case to raise a transverse ridge portion in said bottom wall portion which will act on the ends of said keys to swing them to project outwardly of the key case for ready selection of any one thereof, and means providing a predetermined number of spaced shoulders in said main body portion in fixed positional orientation relative to said keys for the purpose of permitting ready identification of the location of the individual keys contained within the case.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

